THERE IS HOPE!!!!!!

[growlypants]

FROM: http://www.startribune.com/stories/468/5570694.html

Twin Cities listeners tuning out political talk radio
State Wire
August 20, 2005 0820BC-MN--TALKRADIO
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MINNEAPOLIS (AP) - Many Twin Cities listeners are switching the dial from political talk radio to sports oriented shows.

Conservative radio host Rush Limbaugh has lost 43 percent of his Twin Cities audience between the ages of 25 and 54 in the past year. Sean Hannity lost 63 percent of his local audience.

At KSTP-AM, which carries both syndicated programs, "we're weighing where these shows fit for us in the future,'' said Todd Fisher, the station's general manager.

Ratings for political talk radio typically drop after an election year, but experts cannot explain exactly why many Americans are switching the dial this year.

"We're not sure yet what's really going on,'' said talk radio veteran Ken Kohl, Clear Channel's director of news and talk programming for northern California. "In general, the talk shows that are succeeding are ones that haven't been reliving the election, or constantly harping on the polarization between liberals and conservatives.''

One factor could be "war fatigue,'' Kohl said.

"I don't think a lot of people want to talk or hear about the war at this point,'' he said.

Tom Taylor, editor of the industry newsletter Inside Radio, said for political moderates, which make up most of the radio audience, "there's not much that's attention-grabbing. Tom Cruise has grabbed more attention this summer than the war.''

The ratings shift hasn't affected partisan radio stations such as WWTC-AM, known as the Patriot, or KTNF-AM, home to Air America programming, including Al Franken's weekday show. Both have maintained relatively stable, if small, audience shares of about 1 to 1.5 percent.

Locally, Franken has increased his audience share from 1.3 percent of listeners between 25 and 54 last year to 2.4 percent this year.

While political talk show ratings are down, sports talk shows are up.

Weekday ratings at sports-talk station KFAN-AM are up 37 percent from a year ago among listeners between 25 and 54. In contrast, KSTP-AM is down 33 percent.

KFAN's afternoon lineup of Dan (Common Man) Cole, Chad Hartman and Dan Barreiro post audience gains of 24 to 32 percent. But on KSTP, Limbaugh's show, which had 7.6 percent share of listeners between 25 and 54 in spring of 2004, had 4.3 percent this spring. The numbers for the Sean Hannity show dropped from 6.3 to 2.3 percent. Ratings for Joe Soucheray's popular "Garage Logic,'' which airs after Limbaugh's show, also dropped.

"We are giving a lot of consideration to the nationally syndicated shows like Rush and Hannity,'' Fisher said. "We have really become concerned with what I would call their tight play list of topics revolving around politics. We respect them and they've done well for us, but we're really in a quandary here.''

Fisher said KSTP wants to focus more on "local content and dynamic personalities that can really do more than 'us-versus-them' commentary.''

Michael Harrison, editor and publisher of Talkers Magazine, said the fluctuation in ratings is mostly caused by the end of the election and could change how people conduct political talk radio.

Said Harrison: "A lot of people in political talk radio are still on that left-versus-right formula because it's been working. You can be sure that if it continues to show a decline in ratings, they'll alter the course.''



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Information from: Star Tribune, http://www.startribune.com

[blue sky at night]

1. Here is the answer for you Minneapolis/St. Paul Listeners...

sports talk?? oh my, don't go there.........

Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN - KTNF-AM 950 AM / AIR AMERICA RADIO, Where there truly is HOPE.

[babylonsister]

3. Amen, blue sky.

My husband spoke to his 33-yr old son last night and mentioned Crawford and Cindy. He didn't have a clue about either but he has his sports schedule viewing all worked out for the rest of the year. Very disheartening...

[jackster]

2. The big sports talk station in Boston

is just as bad if not worse than the right wing radio stations.... the guys talk politics (HOO YA!) almost as much as they talk sports

[growlypants]

4. As long as those dual A-HOLES Insanitity and Liebaugh are losing

listeners in DROVES........then I'm happy.

[LiberalEsto]

5. We need progressive sports talk radio!

Think of how many people would get exposure to alternative viewpoints if Air America branched out and did progresive sports talk!

[Moderator]

6. growlypants

Per DU copyright rules
please post only four
paragraphs from the
copyrighted news source.


Thank you.


DU Moderator

[growlypants]

7. oh, sorry

[EnfantTerrible]

8. Is this a statement or a wish?

"I don't think a lot of people want to talk or hear about the war at this point,'' he said.


I bet he does...

[growlypants]

9. a wish.

[Autonomy]

10. I don't think it's 'war fatigue' as much as the 'Jon Stewart effect'

a relatively new phenomenon where arrogant blowhards are slowly deflated from numerous pinpricks in their puffed-up self-importance.

Btw, nice pic, Growly. :P

[rrrevolution]

11. The Bankruptcy of Their Ideas Is Finally Dawning on Folks

We are on the brink of major disasters in so many areas, and folks are finally starting to realize that the "Great Leader" the right wing shills are continuously pumping up with their talking points is about to take us over a cliff.

First there is avoidance of the failed policy lines. Then there is searching for an alternative to the failed policy. We need to be ready to reach out to them and show them the way to the light.

[Booster]

12. Well, Rush has been spewing the same trash for almost a quarter of a

century; it's about time his listeners caught on - I've heard of being slow, but that's ridiculous.